Courses

ARNI - Advanced Resuscitation of the Newborn Infant

The Resuscitation Council (UK) Advanced Resuscitation of the Newborn Infant (ARNI) course was launched in 2014 and was developed with support from the baby charity Bliss. The ARNI course is a standardised national course which teaches a systematic approach to the rapid assessment and initial management of the newborn with worrying or life-threatening signs.

Each year, on average, eight courses are held and 96 healthcare professionals are trained. There are ARNI course centres in Brighton, Leicester, London, Manchester, Middlesbrough and Plymouth. A further four course centres are being developed. Each course has 16 candidates and is led by an experienced faculty.

The ARNI course has undergone an independent evaluation by Professor Shaw from Liverpool Edge Hill University. The authors concluded:

“In the group as a whole, the mean confidence scores were significantly higher in the post-course compared to the pre-course questionnaire for all items and for both doctors and nurses separately”

This significant gain in confidence covers both technical and non-technical skills for both doctors and nurses. (Erratum: Assessing the impact of the Advanced Resuscitation of Newborn Infant Course Infant 2017; 13 (3):115-19).

Who is this course suitable for? The ARNI provider course is designed for healthcare professionals involved in the delivery and care of newborn infants in a role more advanced than that of first responder. Candidates must hold a current Resuscitation Council (UK) NLS provider certificate and should be involved in care of the pre-term and sick newborn infants. Candidates will mainly be medical staff at ST3 level and above (in or about to commence a 2nd tier role), neonatal nurses with a qualification in the specialty or Advanced Neonatal Nurse Practitioners. The ARNI course will also be appropriate for others such as experienced paramedics working with newborn transfer teams, resuscitation officers with a significant regular newborn workload and anaesthetists with a newborn or PICU practice.

Course structure ARNI courses are held at a small number of centres throughout the UK and are approved and certified by the Resuscitation Council (UK). This ensures uniformity of content and standard regardless of the centre.

ARNI is a 2-day course and the course programme consists of lectures, workshops, practical stations and low fidelity simulations run in real time. There are usually 16 candidates on each course, allocated to 4 groups of 4.

Assessment and CertificationThere are both summative and continuous elements to assessment on this course. There are two airway stations that candidates must pass in order to progress. Continuous assessment also takes place throughout the course and candidates will be assessed on each simulation and communication workshop. Instructors will provide regular feedback and will be clear with candidates about their progress towards the expected standard for ARNI providers. Both technical and non-technical skills (e.g. communication) are assessed.

Candidates who successfully complete the course receive a Resuscitation Council (UK) ARNI provider certificate, which is valid for 4 years.

The ARNI course is recognised for up to 10 continuing professional development (CPD) points.

Pre-course preparation Candidates will receive a manual at least 4 weeks prior to the start of the course and they are advised to study the manual carefully before attending the course.

ARNI courses are held throughout the year at centres across the UK. To apply, candidates should search for a course below and contact individual course centres for application details. Course fees are decided locally by the course centre; the Resuscitation Council (UK) only charges the course centre £26 per candidate registration and £28 per ARNI manual. For further information on any aspect of the course, please contact the ARNI Co-ordinator at ARNI@resus.org.uk.